Attorney: Ortega family funerals to be private

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The Ortega family poses with Return of the King, a horse owned by
James Ortega that ran at Hollywood Park on November 5, 2008. James,
his father Joseph and rother Charles were recalled by members of the
horse racing community as fans of the sport and frequent visitors to
the track. (Photo courtesy Benoit Photo)

The family members died after Bruce Jeffery Pardo, 45, of Montrose, dressed as Santa Claus and went to a family Christmas party at his former in-laws home – Joseph and Alicia Ortega. There, he shot and killed nine people, some execution-style, before torching the home in the 1100 block of Knollcrest Drive.

Pardo later shot himself to death outside his brother’s home in Sylmar.

Family members and Nord continue to decline interviews, he said.

“I will say what I’ve said before they are a very close knit family,” Nord said at his Glendale office. “They will take care of each other as they’ve always done.”

A number of fund-raisers have been set up for the surviving family members which include 15 children.

While Nord declined to say how much money has been raised thus far, he did say donations are coming from across the world.

“They’ve received donations from as far away as Switzerland,” Nord said. “People have given very generously; from monetary to food, clothes, funeral services…Anything you can think of has been offered.”

In Sacramento, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-East Los Angeles, requested a moment of silence and that the Senate adjourn in the memory of the Ortega family.

“Covina is a beautiful and peaceful community that is now looking to heal,” Romero said at the meeting. “I ask that we join with Covina and residents to show our commitment and to pledge support from the state of California-support that this family and these children and survivors need to receive to move on with their lives.”